New Delhi: Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet on Thursday.
“Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has been undergoing interrogation by the ED for the last four and a half hours. His ordeal is continuing.”
Congress MP @Jairam_Ramesh tweets, “Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has been undergoing interrogation by the ED for the last four and a half hours. His ordeal is continuing.” pic.twitter.com/E6i3u7Lm0a
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) August 4, 2022
Earlier in the day, Kharge informed the Rajya Sabha that the Enforcement Directorate had issued summons against him, during ongoing proceedings of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, accusing the Central government of attempting to intimidate the Congress party.
The ED has asked Kharge to appear before it in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald. Interim party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have already been questioned in the case over alleged evasion of tax.
“I received ED summon, they called me at 12.30 pm. I want to abide by law, but is it right for them to summon when Parliament is in session? Is it right for the Police to gherao residences of Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi? They are doing it purposely to afraid us (Congress). We won’t be scared, we’ll fight,” Kharge said.
Responding to Kharge’s complaint, the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal said the Centre has nothing to do with it.
“The government does not interfere in the work of the law enforcement authorities. Perhaps during their tenure, when their government was there, they might be interfering,” Goyal said.
The union minister stated that law enforcement agencies were carrying out their duties and taking action against those who had broken the law.